More just waffle and that...

So, let’s try to bring everything up to speed so that future rantings make sense...

I have a production of “Spring Awakening” due to be performed in three weeks (three performances across May 11^th and 12^th) performed by a cast with an average age of 19.

A couple of weeks later (across June 8^th and 9^th) three performances are due to be staged of “The Revenger’s Tragedy”, a remarkable classical piece by a remarkable classical writer. Imagine Shakespeare, but without the skills as a Wordsmith and the creativity of your average fourteen year old. Well, that sums up Middleton who wrote it. It’s a violent and, occasionally, foul play.

Then, at the end of July, I should be sending out a production of “Two” by Jim Cartwright. Now being somebody based in the North West of England, that is somewhat of a responsibility. It is, after all, a very well known and well loved play by a well-known and well-loved author.

As soon as that is up and running, off to Edinburgh for a few weeks, largely for a holiday but also to take in some new theatre. It was at the Edinburgh festival last year that I watched a production of “Spring Awakening”. It was a play I had been fascinated by for a long time. I bought a copy of the script in 1995, read it and loved it, and desperately wanted to play Melchior Gabor myself. But, and here is the real bastard, nobody asked me! How rude. Then I became older, my hairline receded and, I thought, that’s that. To revisit it some sixteen years later has been a remarkable experience.

Stylistically there is one problem. The piece, nineteenth century German literature such as it is, is a tricky one as the characters are rather prone to delivering rather long speeches which focus on their feelings. That was fine back in the day, but could be perceived as a little indulgent or, God forbid, boring these days. And this is something I hadn’t noticed until the other day whilst watching a run of Act 1. It was good, technically sound and well acted. But when it got to an hour and five minutes in...well I realised that a few cuts may be needed. I will be delivering these to the actors on Wednesday. Watch this space for reactions!

Before that, two days of rehearsals for "The Revenger's Tragedy" await...Dark Camp anyone?